Digital Spy - Interview Charisma

The star of Buffy, Angel, Veronica Mars and more, Charisma Carpenter is a bit of a cult icon, so we were thrilled to hear that she'd been promoted to series regular status for season two of ABC Family's The Lying Game, which comes to the UK from May 13 on 5*.

Digital Spy spoke to Charisma about her role as Rebecca Sewell, what to expect from the new episodes and how Lying Game fans could have the power to save the show...

You were recurring on season one of The Lying Game - when did you find out you'd be back as a series regular for season two?
"I guess it happened when I found out that they made me the mum of the twins, Emma and Sutton (Alexandra Chando), at the end of season 1b. I kind of figured they were probably going to have me as a series regular at that point... and that was really fine and OK with me!"

Now that Rebecca has been revealed as the mum, how does that impact the show going forward?
"It's awesome, because we learn what her agenda is and why she's keeping quiet and flying under the radar, if you will - before revealing that she's the mum to several people, including Emma - her other daughter.

"We don't know why Sutton's in the fold, but Emma isn't, so we learn that. Oh my gosh, there's just so much ahead for you guys! A whole bunch to look forward to."

Rebecca got married to Alec (Adrian Pasdar) in the season one finale, but then he got arrested! What's next for them?
"What happens with Alec and Rebecca is a sort of 'War of the Roses' situation - they're married, but he suspects that she set him up - which she may or may not have, we don't know!

"I try to keep him in jail, but he gets out of course and then there's this amazing episode where it's like Mr and Mrs Smith - we're under this [same] roof and we're each just trying not to get killed by the other - so it's kind of a fun game of cat-and-mouse!

"Also, a big plot point for Rebecca is... even though she's married to Alec, she definitely wants to get her husband Ted (Andy Buckley) and her kids back, so that is her fuel and what leads to everything unfolding the way that it does.

"Rebecca wants to get back together with Ted, and Sutton isn't sure how she feels about that. She starts to pull away from Rebecca, so then she and Sutton start having problems, 'cos their agenda stops being the same.

"Sutton starts to think, 'Maybe my mum is crazy and I don't know if I want to break up my adopted mum and Ted's relationship,' - she starts to get a conscience... which is inconvenient!"

Rebecca can be quite manipulative, but do you sympathise with her?
"Well, how I approach it is that I have to look at it from her point of view and Rebecca's point of view is that her children were wrongfully taken from her. She got talked into giving them up for adoption because she believed that was the best thing for them, and then she finds out that they've been separated, that Alec lost one of the twins to the system... and so she's bummed and wants her family back!

"So everything that she does is for the love of the family - it's easy for me to understand and sympathise with a person whose motives are so much in a good place. She's not really doing anything *bad* - she's not murdering anybody! She's just trying to get back what's hers!"

The Lying Game is yet to be picked up for a third season - do you think it will be back?
"Honestly, if the fans kick a big enough fit and enough of them come out [to support the show], I really do believe that it could save The Lying Game - at least for one more season, so we could wrap up our storylines. I think we'd all like the powers that be to give us that chance, for our fans.

"This season is a great season that you're about to get into, and it only gets better - the end is just unbelievable. You'll be like, 'What?!' - it's just such an epic ending and it really needs to be explained."

The show does seem to have a dedicated fanbase, particularly online...
"It's so true - I mean, I find that to be the case. I'm on Twitter a lot and the fans are just from all over the place, from everywhere - and they're just frothing at the mouth, dying to know what's next. It makes me so happy, and I just hope we get to keep telling the story."

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